The PaleoChef UK

With health and fitness becoming of more and more importance in big cities where time is precious, meal delivery options have steadily made their way to our offices and homes in a big way.

Companies such as Diet Chef, Fitness First and Detox Kitchen deliver weekly meal packages that cater to the active and health conscious individual, so it was only a matter of time before the paleo diet become readily available for the busy cave men and women of London. Cue, the PaleoChef.

A quick summary for those of you that are unfamiliar with the cave man diet, it involves foods eaten by early humans during the Palaeolithic era such as meat, fish, vegetables and some fruits, depending on the season. This follows along with the fact that 99.99% of our genes were formed before the development of agriculture (think rice, corn, potatoes etc.) (S. Boyd Eaton, M.D., Medical Anthropologist).

Further, According to Loren Cordain, PH.D and Professor of Exercise and Sports science at Colorado State University:

“All humans require similar ranges of both macro and micronutrients and all human groups have similar anatomical, physiological and endocrine functions in regard to diet and nutrition. We were all hunter-gatherers dependent upon wild plants and animals, and these selective pressures shaped our present-day nutritional requirements.”

But I will save my rant about why you should chose paleo for another day…

A fairly new company, the PaleoChef boasts locally sourced and seasonal produce, with all meals vetted by a Harley Street nutritionist and brought to life by a gourmet chef.

I was lucky enough to try the PaleoChef for a week and it was great to find a meal delivery plan that left me completely satisfied. Without a doubt, the food impressed me every day.

Besides how tasty it was, the PaleoChef’s program was both fun and easy to follow. At first, I was a little intimidated by the fact the dinners came in vacuum sealed packages, but if you want food to maintain as many of their nutrients as possible, vacuum sealing the deal is the way to go. What’s more is that the each day’s meals arrive with a colour-coded sticker so you know exactly what to eat (see below).

You will notice in my pictures, I did miss-match the first day’s main course, bringing to work the turkey meatballs as my main instead of the salmon. I blame my +5 eyesight. But nonetheless it still tasted fantastic.

With their weekly, 5-day programs the PaleoChef provides three meal-plan options that cater to your goals; Fat Loss, Performance and Warrior. None of the three options state calories, and the great thing with the paleo diet is calories should be the last thing on your mind. Instead, you can rest easy knowing that every meal on your plan is meant to be enjoyed while nourishing your body and helping you reach your goals, whether they include shedding a few pounds or getting shredded at the gym.

As someone who works out 5-6 times a week, cycles everywhere and has a job that involved standing for 6+ hours, I opted for the Performance package.

During my first dinner, I thought that the meal was HUGE and I would be left feeling stuffed. But sides such as roasted root vegetables, sweet potato pesto noodles and cauliflower gratin are packed with nutrients and you can enjoy a hearty serving without feeling overly-full.

It was great to follow a plan that veered from my usual paleo meat choices as well. Instead of my standard go-to’s of chicken or mince, I fell in love with the beef bourguignon. The soups were also absolutely stunning. I can’t remember the last time I nestled up with a hot bowl of butternut squah soup with chicken, but it certainly arrived just in time for winter.

My only other issue- which was actually my own fault- was that I didn’t end up eating Day 5’s dinner, as I had made other plans before spending the weekend away. What’s great though is that you can easily freeze uneaten meals to save for a rainy day, as long as it’s a rainy day that isn’t 7 days past the delivery date.

Even if you have never tried to Paleo Diet before, I would definitely recommend giving PaleoChef a try.

For further info on the PaleoChef and what the paleo diet is all about, check out their informative FAQ’s page as it covers a lot of questions about their plans.